Music START!
by Lucia Hunter
Summary: After everything they've been through, the girls have finally made it onto their never ending stage. It's time for their never ending party to begin. Final volume of the 'Songs of Muse; Songs for You' series, but also a standalone.
1. Our Never Ending Stage

**Author's Note: This is the final volume in my 'Songs of Muse; Songs for You' series. It is not volume 4, or even part of the first arc. In fact, it's probably best to treat this simply as a standalone, though I may reference things from the previous stories.**

**The chapters do not mark passage of time either, incidentally. Anachronistic order once again, but this time not even the chapter numbers will tell you what order it happens in. (Clearly, I'm writing this without an outline fuehehe)**

**Finally, this fic is something I planned from the start, even before writing the other volumes. =) I hope this vision can come to fruition in the end, and that you will stick with me till then. *bows***

**Credits to LLSIF Wiki for the song translations.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Our Never Ending Stage**

"Cheers!"

The atmosphere in the clubroom was upbeat and cheery, with streamers strung from wall to wall. Also decorating the walls were Hanayo's cute drawings of the club members, alongside posters for the singles and albums they had released up to date. Though the room had been dominated by other school idols' posters when they first took over it from Nico's sole fandom empire, their own hard work had gradually built up enough to slowly overtake the other groups.

Right now, it was definitely no mistake to say that they were the biggest school idol group in the nation.

"To have come this far... Nico, you've finally made it!" the twin-tailed girl proclaimed to herself at her corner of the table, looking away with an over-dramatised dreamy look.

"... Nico-chan, you say the same thing every time we release a new single," Hanayo giggled. Set before her was, as always, a large bowl of freshly cooked white rice, which she began eating with gusto. Beside her, Rin was already busy stuffing sandwiches into her mouth.

"Mogu mogu... Eyaa, today's bread is delicious as usual!"

"Honoka, how many times do I have to tell you, stop talking with your mouth full!"

"It's okay Umi-chan, I won't choke this time!"

The party was off in full swing, with a whole variety of dishes on the table. Piping-hot croquettes, fried chicken, sandwiches, a salad topped with plenty of tomatoes, and an apple pie were all present, filling the room with a savoury aroma that only incited its occupants to dig in further.

Over at the end closer to the door, Eli smiled wistfully as she fiddled with her plastic cup of green tea. It was great to see everyone in such high spirits, and somewhat of a relief after everything they had been through up till now - the blonde found herself wincing in pain at the thought. But they were here, they were happy, and that was all that mattered.

"Uuoooh! We forgot!" Honoka shot up in her seat, reaching behind her to switch on the radio, which crackled to life as it got ready to play their latest single.

"Muse, music..."

"Start!" the chorus of their voices rang strongly within the clubroom, unified as one in spirit.

_"Welcome song! Our hearts are together as one  
That's why this will be our never ending stage"_

Plopping herself back onto her seat, Honoka resumed tearing into her sandwich like the ever-ravenous girl she was, while Umi's eyebrow twitched at her lack of manners. "Honoka..."

"Mou, stop fussing, Umi-chan! Start eating too or there won't be anything left for you!"

Their brunette childhood friend let out a soft chuckle. "Don't worry so much, Umi-chan, it's just like Honoka-chan as usual after all."

With a long-suffering sigh, the blue-headed archer started helping herself to the food as well.

_"I want to experience lots of wonders  
I want to experience them with you  
A miracle will make that wish come true, la la la love live!"_

"Here Maki, have more of the tomatoes you love."

"Nico-chan..."

"How is it? Delicious? Juicy?"

Maki's cheeks were starting to match the tomatoes she was nibbling delicately on. "... Sweet..."

"Hah, you ate it! Now you're obliged to make sure Nico is the centre for the next single!" The twin-tailed girl's sudden declaration made Maki nearly spit out her tomatoes in surprise, sputtering at the same line she had heard once before during their camping trip.

"... What are you even talking about, I was the one who made the salad in the first place!"

_"I'm thankful that I was able to meet you  
I'm thankful for the power to believe  
Our courage will change the future"_

"The rice-cooker Kotori-chan won cooks really well..." Hanayo commented between spoonfuls in an euphoric voice, clutching at her cheeks in an expression of pure bliss.

Her orange-haired best friend tilted her head in confusion. "Really?.. Rin thinks it tastes just like normal..."

"Normal?! This texture, this taste, this fluffiness! How can this ever be normal?! This is the rice-cooker to complement Japan's proud tradition of rice! The epitome of a Japanese household!"

"If Kayo-chin says so, it must be true then nya!"

_"How come I still can't be honest with myself?  
Music! Listen!  
It's time for us to all dance together  
Let's go! It's starting!"_

"Hmm? Not eating, Eli-chi?"

"Ah!" Caught daydreaming by Nozomi, the blonde only smiled sheepishly before taking a sandwich for herself. "Just thinking about some matters."

"And there I thought you were waiting for me to feed you~"

Not to be outdone, Eli leaned over. "Maybe later..." she murmured slowly in a seductive tone that sent shivers down the spiritual girl's spine, her breath tingling Nozomi's ear.

"... When did Eli-chi get this dangerous?" The normally unflappable Nozomi was averting her gaze while the faintest tinge of red dyed her cheeks.

"I guess I learned it was the only way to discipline this naughty shrine maiden of mine. Anyway, it's about time we told them."

"If you say so, Eli-chi~"

_"After all, the party will never end  
The party will never end  
There's still time for us to sing with all our might  
After all, the party will never end  
The party will never end  
I'm filled with thoughts of fun miracles and invincible smiles!"_

After waiting for all the other conversations to enter a lull, the blonde third-year stood up to draw everyone's attention.

"Everyone, I have something to announce."

"Eh? What is it Eli-chan?" Honoka questioned as she reached behind her to pause the music. All other chatter in the room ceased completely as everyone's eyes focused on Eli, waiting in anticipation for what she had to say.

"About a week ago... Nozomi and I started dating."

The room fell into silence, so quiet one could hear a pin drop. And indeed, there was a clattering sound a moment later when Hanayo's chopsticks slipped out of her limp fingers to land on the table. As if it was a starting pistol, it caused the room to erupt into chaos.

"Congratulations Eli-chan!"

"About time."

"That's good to hear nya!"

"Well, they do suit each other..."

For a moment, Eli just stood there adrift in the outpouring of congratulations, her mouth agape at the reaction. "You all... aren't surprised or anything?.."

"Why on earth would we be?" their ginger-haired leader asked in return.

"Well, it could've been anyone else... I mean, no one else here's started dating yet..." _Even though they really should, _the blonde added mentally as an after-note.

Honoka rose to her feet as well, gesturing wildly in her excitement. "But but... it's Eli-chan and Nozomi-chan. You two just belong together."

As Eli's eyes scanned around the room, the other girls only shrugged or nodded in agreement. _Was it really that obvious?.. They act as though it was set in stone. Not that I'm unhappy about being with Nozomi, but..._

Just beside her, Nozomi flashed her tarot card between her fingers. "I told you Eli-chi~ My cards told me we were fated to be together."

With a serene sigh of resignation, Eli took her seat once more, only to find a smile coming to her face as her girlfriend's leg snaked its way over under the table to rub against her calf teasingly.

_I really have to find a way to punish this shrine maiden later, _Eli tried to glare at Nozomi but found it ineffective due to her uncooperative smile that only grew wider the higher Nozomi's leg wandered.

* * *

Looking at the pair of third-years exchanging passionate looks with each other, Honoka only shook her head in amusement and flipped the music back on.

"Okay everyone! Back to our party! Our never ending party!"

"Honoka, if you think that gets you out of needing to do clean-up later, you're wrong."

"Eya, Umi-chan caught me there~"

After another minute of shovelling food into her mouth, the ginger-haired girl paused for a second to watch the rest.

Nico and Maki were arguing over something undoubtedly inconsequential as usual, with the third-year using her teasing tone while Maki's cheeks were growing redder by the second.

Hanayo was rapidly firing off words at Rin with a fire in her eyes, while her childhood friend had a sheepish grin and a gaze that betrayed what she really was thinking instead of listening to Hanayo.

Eli and Nozomi were clearly still playing with each other under the table as though they thought no one else could figure it out, exchanging lovers' gazes that made Honoka feel awkward and avert her own eyes.

Umi and Kotori were discussing something she couldn't quite make out, but the gentle smiles on their faces were the same ones she had seen growing up alongside them all these years. Smiles she wanted to protect and make sure they continued having opportunities to show.

Looking at them, these girls she had come to know and love so well, she couldn't help but find a wide grin forming on her face.

That's right, there was clean-up to be done later. But for now, she could indulge herself...

In this never ending party of theirs.

_"Welcome song! Our hearts are together as one  
That's why we'll dance here together  
Welcome song! Our hearts are together as one  
That's why this will be our never ending stage"_


	2. Dreams and Pun(ishment)s

**Author's Note: I forgot to say this the previous chapter, but the chapter numbering does not dictate the order things happen in this time round. After all, who cares about time in the midst of a never-ending party?**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Dreams and Pun(ishment)s**

Honoka was sleeping on the clubroom table.

Well, it wasn't like she had intended to fall asleep there. She had just been tired out after a long day of school, and had decided to make her way to the clubroom first since both Umi and Kotori needed to see the teacher for something. Upon reaching, the ginger-haired girl had been surprised to find that she was the first one to arrive, and promptly slumped on the table after taking a seat.

Within seconds, she was asleep. But not deeply as her mind was still conscious, drifting about in nonsensical dreams and images. In those few minutes of her senseless dreamscape she watched as Rin ran past her in her latest 'Korekara no Someday' outfit, before they were all somehow on the same stage they had for their summer live. Where Eli and Umi jumped off the stage into the ground which suddenly became the sea, and they were all splashing about having fun. But even before Honoka could get her bearings, the scene then transitioned into a bullet train, where all of them were headed somewhere while chatting excitedly.

Her mind snapped back to the clubroom though, with the entrance of the team's spiritual girl Nozomi. Yet Honoka was still unable to really wake up, finding her limbs paralysed but still able to 'see' what was going on in the room.

"Wake up, Honoka-chan~"

Honoka tried to open her mouth, but couldn't. All she could do was whine softly, her muscles not obeying a single command she gave.

"Honoka-chan, I'm going to punish you if you don't wake up soon, you know?" The violet-haired girl was walking over to where Honoka was, flexing her hands threateningly.

Honoka's whine grew higher in pitch and more urgent, but she still couldn't make any coherent noise. Well if she willed it hard enough, she was able to jerk her head a bit. Maybe if she kept doing it she'll be able to regain control of her muscles eventually!

"Hmm?~ I see someone's really asking for punishment, isn't she?"

Nozomi was now so close that Honoka could feel her bending over her body even in her sleep-befuddled mind. Oh no, those arms were starting to close around her chest, why wouldn't her muscles move?!

With a final surge of strength, the leader of Muse opened her mouth and let out a blood-curdling scream.

* * *

With a sudden hitched breath, Honoka's eyes snapped open. After taking a moment to affirm the fact that no wandering hands were wrapped around her chest, she sat upright and glanced around the clubroom.

Empty. The room was just the way it had been when she had first stepped in, deserted and filled only with the costumes, props and other items from their idol activities.

"What a dream," the second-year groaned to herself. Now she felt more tired than ever after that nightmare of sleep-paralysis, instead of being refreshed from the nap. _It's only been a few minutes since I got here, but I don't think I can fall asleep again... _With a stretch, she let out an audible yawn without bothering to cover her mouth.

The clubroom door opened just at that opportune moment to reveal no one other than Nozomi.

"I'm awake!" Honoka shot up so fast that her chair flew backwards and hit the shelves behind with a clatter. The stack of discs atop it wobbled dangerously, but luckily retained their stability.

"... What on earth are you doing, Honoka-chan?"

Honoka only smiled sheepishly as she dropped her arms from where they had been protecting her chest, and sank back down into her seat. "Sorry Nozomi-chan. I just had a nightmare, that's all."

"That's interesting~ What sort? Dreams are a window into the soul, so you can tell a lot from them."

"I don't remember much, but I just couldn't move at the end... It felt like I was awake in the clubroom but just paralysed ehehe... it sound silly doesn't it?"

For a while Nozomi didn't respond, a thoughtful look on her face. When seconds dragged on into minutes though, the ginger-haired girl began to feel a little awkward.

"Uhm, Nozomi-chan?.."

"You're lacking spiritual power," the third-year announced decisively at last, setting her schoolbag down on the table. "Come on, I'll give you a massage that'll cure all your problems~"

Honoka jumped in fear as she covered her chest with her arms once again. "No! I'm perfectly fine, thank you very much!"

Nozomi only giggled in amusement as she moved around the table to where her junior was. "I meant it properly. Sit down, Honoka."

A few minutes later, the ginger-haired girl was moaning in pleasure as Nozomi's hands worked their magic.

"Ah!... You're really skilled at this, Nozomi-chan."

"I've had plenty of practice~ Eli-chi always gets sore shoulders easily from... well, she needs these from time to time cause her shoulders are a lot slimmer than mine, so it's always been me helping her out."

"Uwah... I could really get used to this."

"Oho, I'm nowhere near done yet~" Somehow with just a slight shift in her fingers and a little more force, the spiritual girl managed to almost double the intensity of the sensation flowing through Honoka.

"Ahh! Nozomi-chan!"

"Ufufu, feels good, doesn't it?"

"Please keep going, Nozomi-chan..."

The door burst open at that very moment to reveal a fuming blue-haired archer, who stormed into the room like a hurricane with her eyes blazing. "Honoka, explain yourself!"

"Eh? Umi-chan?"

The scene froze, except for Nozomi who only had a grin on her face that continued to get wider.

With her cheeks starting to flush, Umi quietly shut the door behind her. "I... was mistaken. My sincerest apologies."

"What did Umi-chan think we were doing?.."

"Ab-absolutely nothing!" Finding her seat, the blue-haired girl refused to meet the gaze of either of the other two.

"Oho, looks like someone needs a massage of her own... of a very different kind~"

As the other club members slowly streamed into the room, Honoka watched a rare scene where her girlfriend, often the most sensible of all, finally end up the victim of Nozomi's ministrations for the first time.

* * *

**Author's Note: Just a quick chapter based on several things that occurred to me lately. **

**1. Sleep paralysis is utterly terrifying crap I swear.  
2. Some days I'm glad for Eli that she isn't real. From some illustrations (even the official ones), that shoulder/chest to bust ratio must be a _serious_ pain.  
3. Umi's getting weirder lately in season 2. o.o It's character development, somewhat, but in a very weird way...**


	3. Girls' Day Out

**Chapter 3: Girls' Day Out**

It was a bright and sunny Saturday morning, with the sun shining down in a sky unfettered by clouds. Of late the weather had been turbulent and stormy, and so it was with great joy that most of the town opened their windows and hung their laundry out in the hopes that it would last. To the members of Muse who had gotten up early for their normal training session at the shrine, even practice was feeling less like a chore and more of a joy.

Mostly.

"Ahh I'm so tired..." Honoka breathed a sigh of relief as she collapsed at the top of the steps. "Somehow it feels like I never get any stronger no matter how much I run every day... Wait that sounds kind of familiar."

"That's because you keep saying it!" Umi fumed with her hands on her hips. "And as I keep telling you, you would get fitter so long as you stop eating so many sweets!"

The response she got was accompanied with a stuck-out tongue. "No way, I'm perfectly fine! My weight hasn't shifted a single bit in months! I refuse to follow another one of demon Umi-chan's diets~"

"Ho-no-kaaa!" The blue-haired archer was starting to feel her nerves reach the limit from her obstinate childhood friend. "I wouldn't have to nag so much if you would just act sensibly from time to time! We have another live coming up, and I swear if you put on a single kilogram more..."

"Mou! Umi-chan should worry more about herself!"

"M-me?" Umi immediately jerked backwards as her hands went to her waist, feeling and patting herself insecurely. "But when I weighed myself I haven't put on any weight at all! Stop changing the subject!"

"No not your weight, your hair! It's been getting pretty unkempt and frizzy!"

Paling rapidly, the group's lyricist dived for her bag and pulled out a hand-mirror to inspect her reflection before falling upon her knees. With a look of utter defeat she muttered, "I thought no one would notice..."

Eli smiled as she patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Well, the weather's been pretty wet lately, and some people are more prone to getting their hair frizzy with the humidity..."

"But it's kind of hard to not notice when your hair is almost covering your eyes," Nico remarked, blunt as ever. "Why on earth aren't you getting it cut?"

"I... that..."

"Yes?" Everyone was gathered around Umi by now, wondering just why the strict and disciplined girl would possibly have such an issue.

"... My usual hairdresser is out of town..." Placed under everyone's attention, she was crouched with her face buried in her knees in embarrassment once again, her answer a faint murmur nearly lost amongst the chirping birds.

There was a brief moment of silence as everyone tried to digest what she had said, before the explosion of replies came.

"Just go to another one!" Even the usually stoic Eli had her palm meeting her forehead in exasperation, while the others were left in varying expressions of disbelief.

"I can't! No one else can do it right!" Umi shivered with fear, overtaken with bad memories.

Her childhood friends only exchanged looks of confusion, before understanding dawned upon Kotori's face. "Ohh! Umi-chan is talking about that time..."

"Ehh? Which time which time?"

"Remember Honoka-chan, that time in middle-school when she wore a handkerchief around her hair every day and refused to take it off."

"Ahh! That time she was pretending to be a pirate! I thought it was just because Halloween was drawing near."

That last sentence elicited a furious response from the girl who raised her head in indignation. "I was not! It was just... terrible... I couldn't face the world like that!"

There was another pause in the conversation as the girls weighed their options, while Umi drowned in the misery of her traumatic memories.

"I can take her to my hairdresser," Maki offered at last when no other suggestions seemed to be forthcoming. "I think he'll do fine, and I need some trimming as well anyway."

"But!" Umi raised her voice, only to lose whatever she was about to say when her eyes met the redhead's. "Oh..."

"Yeah, if it's Maki-chan's hairdresser, it can't possibly go wrong nya!"

"I think the real question is more of whether Umi-chan can even afford such a haircut..." Nozomi piped up with her head tilted.

"Maki, just how much does he charge you usually?.."

Maki's cheeks flushed red for some reason. "I... what are you all saying! I'll cover the bill for you as a favour so don't ask me that! Now are you coming or not?" Picking up her bag, she stepped off to the side with an expectant look.

Left without an option, Umi tried futilely to make her hair look as presentable as she could before picking up her bag as well. "... Thanks Maki."

"... Hmph. What a troublesome person."

* * *

An hour later after first heading home to change, Umi was desperately avoiding the eyes of passer-bys as she followed meekly behind Maki, who didn't seem out of her element at all. Even in her simple grey-white sweater and tights, the redhead naturally exuded a regal elegance that blended into the higher-end streets of Shibuya as if she owned the place.

Then again, Umi wasn't willing to bet on that last point. After all that she had seen from the heiress, she wouldn't be surprised if the Nishikino family owned shares in some of the buildings here. Besides if it was Maki, she could even be in her school uniform and still not look out of place.

Meanwhile she had tried her best with what she had in her wardrobe, and had coincidentally picked a similarly shaded sweater along with a colourful necklace Eli had made for her some time back. When the two of them stood together they actually matched up pretty well. If it wasn't for the hair colour people might even think they were sisters.

Except for the one ginger-haired girl tagging along, clad in her white sweater with black striped sleeves and a sleek blue skirt that went down to her knees, who was talking a mile a minute exuberantly. Of all the other people who could've been without plans for the afternoon, it just had to be Honoka.

"Look look Umi-chan, those crepes look delicious! And they're showing our 'Music S.T.A.R.T!' PV on that giant screen over there!"

The archer groaned inwardly as more eyes turned towards them, most of them only sparing a curious glance before looking away. A few others lit up in recognition and waves, which Honoka happily returned with her megawatt smile. Umi only tried to shrink her presence as much as possible and prayed no one would notice her. Maybe she should have borrowed one of Nico's disguises before attempting to head into town...

"We're almost there," Maki announced simply as she turned into a mall not far from the station. "It's on the fourth floor."

As they took the escalators up, passing by a number of brands that Umi couldn't even recognize (and the ones that she did made her pale), Honoka seemed to quieten down a bit. Thankful for the sudden peace, the archer whipped out her mirror once again in a bid to make her hair look neater.

"Umi, that's what we're here for. Why don't you just leave it to the hairdresser?"

"I don't want to give your hairdresser a bad impression..."

Maki let out an exasperated sigh, as she fingered one of her own locks of hair. "It's his job. Just trust me and leave it to him. Come on, we're here."

Once they entered the salon, the redhead instantly located one of the staff and pulled him aside, having a quiet discussion while Umi waited near the doorway. The man's eyes located the blue-haired girl halfway through, his forehead creasing into a frown with a look of what seemed like disappointment.

Umi felt like crouching and hiding her face once again as she bemoaned her fate. All the while Honoka was still oblivious to what was going on, wandering around the salon and examining just about everything.

"Hmm. I'm going to need a picture to work with if she insists on her old hairstyle."

"Here," Maki handed her phone over with a photo of Umi from one of their photo-shoots. "This is a pretty recent picture so it should work. Though apparently she hasn't changed her hairstyle. Ever."

"That will do." The hairdresser handed the phone back, only to have it intercepted by an excitable ginger-head who began swiping around.

"Ooh ooh let me see! Ehh? Why does Maki-chan have everyone's photos in her phone?"

Maki started to flush as she grabbed at her phone, except Honoka was rather experienced at dodging. "You... give that back!"

"Uwah, even our really old photo-shoots! Maki-chan must really love Muse!"

Shivering with rage and embarrassment, the composer stood stock still for a moment before stalking over to a chair and sitting down in a huff. "Let's just get this over with."

Left to her own devices, Umi turned a hesitant questioning glance to the hairdresser, who only motioned for her to sit down on an adjoining chair. With Maki sitting down with her eyes closed and her cheeks trembling red with emotion, she wasn't going to make for much conversation. Which left Umi alone with the mirror where she stared at her horrendous hair. And the reflection of Honoka making funny faces at her in the background.

The archer let out a sigh. This was going to be a long wait.

* * *

The cafe was bustling with people, filled with the constant underlying murmur of chatter as well as the alluring smells of coffee and chocolate. It was already late afternoon when the trio stopped for coffee, after Honoka had complained about her perpetual stomach woes. Since it was a Saturday, most of the people surrounding them were also of their age: teenagers out for a day in town, couples holding hands and chatting away, and only the occasional businessman working away on his laptop.

The hours following the haircut had been rather interesting, Honoka reflected as she began unwrapping the strawberry daifuku flavoured coronet set beside a steaming cup of tea on the round coffee table. Umi had regained her confidence to face the world once more after the skilful treatment at the hands of Maki's hairdresser, with her hair looking as it usually did but even more radiant than ever. At least now they knew how Maki always managed to maintain those curls of hers (other than her constant twirling whenever she was bored or embarrassed), though Honoka wasn't sure if she liked the number of bills Maki had tried to discreetly pay with. Umi hadn't noticed at all, and Honoka sure wasn't about to tell her how much their friend had spent on her behalf.

Anyway, the girls had hit up the town after that. Or rather, Honoka had single-mindedly insisted on going shopping and dragged the other two unwilling girls with her, no matter how much they had protested. It had been too good an opportunity to miss up, especially since she knew how distant Maki still was from the other members of Muse that weren't in her year, barring Nico. Honoka had torn through multiple shops at her usual impulsive and restless pace, forcing the other girls to dress up in clothes she thought would suit them. The redhead's fashion opinion had been invaluable though, often nonchalantly picking out clothes that were such perfect matches Honoka had to resist the urge to buy them all.

Of particular note was the glasses shop where Honoka had dived into despite not needing prescription glasses, trying on some for style. After forcing a pair onto Maki, the composer actually looked rather like the doctor she aspired to be someday. While Honoka looked... just kind of clueless and absent-minded. But that didn't stop her from hooking her arm around Maki's and demanding Umi take a photo of them for posterity.

All in all it had been a rather interesting day, that she was sure had brought them closer. And what better way to end an enjoyable day than with her favourite activity of all, eating?

Meanwhile, Umi was watching Honoka's coronet with eyes like a hawk, undoubtedly calculating how many calories it contained and whether the ginger-haired girl could afford to eat it in the first place. In defiance, Honoka raised it to her mouth and took a large bite, making a show out of eating it. "Ahh, delicious as always!"

The archer's eyebrow twitched, but said nothing as she sipped at her own cup of tea. Across the table from her Maki was sipping at her own cup of chicory coffee, which Umi had insisted on paying for at least. Seeing the temporary lull in the conversation, Honoka decided to ask a question that had been in her mind for some time.

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask you two this ever since a week back... How did you two write the second track for our 'Music S.T.A.R.T!' single?"

The temperature seemed to drop a few degrees the moment she finished her question. Maki's expression remained the way it had always been, distant and uncaring, but her eyes seemed to glaze over. Umi on the other hand, had the faint smile wiped off her face entirely. The reactions were so sudden, so abrupt that even Honoka noticed them.

"Eeyah, it's not really bad or anything, I'm sure all of Muse really enjoyed singing 'LOVELESS WORLD'!" The leader of Muse tried to reassure the two with plenty of gestures and hand movements. "It was just different from normal, so I was curious... So... Maki-chan?"

The first-year had a scowl on her face, twirling her recently-done hair. "It wasn't anything much. Nico-chan just told me we should try for something different so that we would have more impact. I just wrote the music with the feel she wanted."

"Eeeehh... So Maki-chan really listens to anything Nico-chan says huh."

Nearly choking on her coffee, Maki took a moment to recover enough before snapping back. "Oh keep quiet, you."

"Then Umi-chan? I was really shocked when I saw the lyrics!" Honoka exclaimed with exaggerated hand motions. "I didn't know Umi-chan could write like that!"

The archer seemed to have heard Honoka's question, but sat there quietly musing without a response. After a minute when Honoka was just about to prod her again for an answer, she finally spoke up.

"I was just trying... to portray the pain of parting.

"Up till now all our songs have always been about love, confessions, friendship, appreciating what we have now and chasing the future. But no matter what there will always be negative things in life. I thought our fans might like it if there was also a song for that occasion," Umi explained slowly, pausing often to consider her words carefully while keeping her eyes fixated on her childhood friend.

"Uwah... that's really deep Umi-chan. I'm not sure I understand but okay!" Her curiosity satisfied, Honoka turned her attention back to her pastry with gusto.

"It's alright Honoka. I'm sure you'll understand someday."

As they made their separate ways home afterwards, Honoka took out her phone in the train station, looked at the pictures they had taken together in one of the clothing stores and smiled. The three of them had definitely grown closer today. But she just couldn't help but have the insignificant feeling at the back of her mind, that they just weren't close enough yet.

Nevertheless, there was still time. Someday she was sure all the members of Muse would be bonded properly and able to talk about anything with everyone else. Until that time she would just have to work hard in bringing everyone closer together. Today was just the start.

Keeping her phone away, Honoka smiled to herself and boarded the train.

* * *

**Author's Note: Two chapters in one day?! Nah I've been working on them for a while. But this chapter had to be posted rather urgently so it took higher priority which slowed down the Garden of Glass chapter which was supposed to be released yesterday. **

**The main points that made up this story are the fact that on 20th May 2014, Emitsun (Honoka) and Pile had some recording together in the morning where they took a photo together with glasses on. It's pretty cute. And in the afternoon apparently, Mimorin (Umi) visited Pile's favourite hairdresser together with her. I even researched the location for this fic (stalker much), but I definitely don't know the exact pricing. xP  
Original tweets for reference if you're interested (Just put the twitter domain in front of the following):  
**mimori_suzuko/status/468761681762320384  
Nitta_Emi/status/468597212297953280  
imoutomaster/status/469270428670631936/photo/1

**The first two are from the seiyuus and the last one is a picture where some artist drew them as Honoka and Maki with glasses. Which was where I got Honoka looking rather absent-minded and clueless from. xD**

**So yes, I wanted to get this story out while it was fresh on other seiyuu fans' minds. It was a rather lucky coincidence that these were exactly the characters I needed. Things just happened that way, I suppose.**

******The strawberry daifuku chocolate coronet is an author bias. Chococro St Marc Cafe is available in Japan and Singapore only unfortunately. =P**

**My other point is LOVELESS WORLD is a really awesome song. I was stunned when I first heard it, I was blown away when I saw it live in concert (They had _pyrotechnics_. Seriously.), and I'm still awestruck whenever I listen to it. It's the first song they released with such a different feel and the only other song like that as of now is Datte Datte Aa Mujou, which is the coupling track for the Season 2 opening song. If you haven't listened to either, you might want to try them out. It's totally unlike Muse's usual tone but that's what makes them so precious.**

**Last point is that I'm finally doing some blatant foreshadowing. I've updated the fic genres to be Friendship/Mystery. Have fun guessing, people.**


	4. To Dream Or Not To Dream

**Chapter 4: To Dream Or Not To Dream**

Honoka couldn't quite fall asleep.

For a couple of hours now she had been drifting between one train of thought to another, her mind strangely energetic. Everything from the upcoming performance to the recently revealed relationship between Nico and Maki, to her student council president duties, a whole multitude of things in her life was just piling upon her. But she didn't feel oppressed by them at all, not one bit. Rather, she felt liberated and content with her life. The challenge of juggling everything was at a comfortable level, the reality of her achievements were satisfying (though she wouldn't ever let them get to her head), and most of all she always had her friends by her side to face life with.

Now if only she could get some sleep. But unfortunately for her she was terribly awake, her body muscles twitching as she switched from one sleeping posture to another, unable to find one she was comfortable with. When she relieved the ache on one side another would feel pinched, when one side was just warm another would be too hot or cold.

Flipping onto her left, she stared at the lime green glowing numbers on the digital clock on her desk, as the numbers ticked from 12:32AM to 12:33AM. Not good. If she didn't fall asleep soon she would definitely be in trouble the next morning. Not that panicking and worrying about it would help her, but the sense of urgency made Honoka struggle to clear all thoughts from her mind.

Emptiness...

Honoka had never exactly learned how to do Zen, so she went with her best approximation of what she thought it was like. Supposedly there were Zen gardens with pebbles carefully raked into geometric shapes, but she had never gotten the chance to see one before so she didn't have a clue. Besides, it sounded kinda silly too, just sitting around a bunch of rocks and staring at them. Maybe someday if their family ever decided to take a trip to Kyoto, she could experience it for herself.

With no thoughts to disturb her, her senses felt even more alive... and all the more uncomfortable. Honoka couldn't help but hear the little noises of the city around her. Somewhere in the distance there was the squeaking of brakes and some horns. The ringing siren from a passing ambulance. Even the slight wind whistling through a gap in her window was audible to her, and every tiny creak of her old house settling in sounded like the loud crack of a whip to her overly sensitive ears.

She was uncomfortably aware that the world was still moving on, with or without her.

It was another ten minutes before she finally fell asleep, her dreams filled with uneasy premonitions.

* * *

"Honoka! How many times do I have to wake you up during class?!"

Classes had just ended that afternoon, and said ginger-haired girl was rubbing sorely at a single red spot upon her forehead. In front of her were countless tiny paper balls, each scrunched up densely enough to pack quite a punch when flicked. And Umi's flicks, her finger strength and precision honed by years of archery, were anything but gentle. In fact it was a rather legendary feat that she had even managed to hit the exact same spot so many times in a row.

"Mou, give me a break Umi-chan, I didn't sleep well last night..."

"Hmm? Did something happen, Honoka-chan?" The question came from none other than Kotori, who was already moving to sit on the vacated desk behind Honoka and gently massaging her shoulders. The rest of the class, long used to the trio's unnatural closeness, pointedly ignored the action as usual. Considering how the three of them had decided to neither confirm nor deny all the rumours flying around, most of the class had already come to the right conclusion about their relationship.

Surprisingly though, most of the school and naturally the rest of Japan was still in the dark. It was a sign of loyalty from their classmates who had always supported them since the very beginning, that they did not gossip about their stars outside of the classroom.

"Nothing really happened," Honoka moaned, slumping her head on her desk and relaxing under her girlfriend's gentle but firm squeezes. "I just couldn't stop thinking. I tried to clear my mind, but it didn't work out very well either."

"Really? Emptying your mind shouldn't be that difficult for you. There's barely anything inside." Umi had a faint smile as she got up from her seat, patting Honoka's head. Her fingers catching on the strands of ginger hair, Umi paused to subconsciously play with them for a bit before smoothing it out.

"Umi-chan is always so mean to me." The statement was delivered without animosity, just another peaceful scene of their daily banter. Ever since the three of them had gotten together there had been no major arguments, just a slow and steady progress onwards. Honoka had no idea to which god she should give thanks for the chance to have this sort of wonderful relationship, but she was every bit as determined as the other two to make it work.

"If I didn't, no one will. Now shoo, go on ahead to the clubroom first. Kotori and I are on classroom duty and you'll just get in the way."

Honoka raised her head with a blank look. "Fueee? I could help out or just wait for you two outside, you know."

"It'll take a while so you might as well put that time to use somewhere else. We can't possibly hog you to ourselves all the time anyway, the rest need your energy to inspire them too."

"Mm! Go ahead, Honoka-chan. Umi-chan and I will meet you in the clubroom later." Kotori slid off the table and headed towards the blackboard, her long lustrous hair swaying with every step she took. Honoka had always loved her girlfriends' hair, whether it was Kotori's distinctive mix between ash-grey and brown, or Umi's deep dark blue that shone so attractively under the lights. Maybe she should attempt to keep her own hair longer too? She would have to ask the other two's opinion sometime.

"Then, see you two later~" With that, the ginger-haired girl picked up her bag and left the classroom, closing the door properly behind her, exchanging smiles with her girlfriends as the door slowly cut off the line of sight between them.

The moment the door closed and Honoka began walking towards the clubroom, she rummaged through her bag and pulled out the extra bread she had been too afraid to bring out under Umi's watchful eyes the entire day. Surely it would give her back some of the energy she was lacking!

"Kyaa, today's bread is delicious as usual!"

* * *

Eerily, the closer Honoka got to the clubroom, the more she felt she was stepping into another dimension. Despite the fact that the clubroom was just two floors below her classroom, the remaining sounds of the student population faded away with each step she descended. Did everyone already go home? What happened to all the other clubs?

It was strange, but she could hear neither the usual shouts of the track team's training, nor the musical instruments from their (admittedly rather tiny due to the school size) orchestra. The first-year's floor Honoka passed on the way down was utterly silent too, with no raucous conversations or laughter to break the quiet. It wasn't quite something to be alarmed over just yet, though it left the girl unsettled.

_The noisier clubs are probably just taking a break. And maybe the first-year class decided to go out on a class outing on a whim. There's only one class after all, so it wouldn't be that unnatural for their floor to be silent if that happened..._

Coming up with excuses to reassure herself, the ginger-haired girl still found her footsteps quickening towards the clubroom. The sooner she got inside and met up with the rest, the better. Once she was surrounded by the noise and happiness that Muse always brought her, she would be safe.

Her hand closed over the clubroom's smooth, cold doorknob, only to freeze on the spot as her ears at last picked up something that wasn't the wind whistling through the empty corridors. Except it wasn't anything better, because unless she was very much mistaken, it was the sound of someone sobbing. It wasn't a loud wailing, but the quiet, stifled sobs still sounded every bit as heart-breaking to Honoka, who immediately felt the urge to rush in and comfort the crying girl.

"There there, Eli-chi. Pull yourself together. The others will be here soon."

At least the crying person wasn't alone, as Honoka realised that it was Eli and her girlfriend who was in there. Letting go of the doorknob, she stood to one side of the door and decided to wait for a while out of consideration for her senior's feelings. The quarter-Russian blonde wouldn't have wanted other people to see her while she was in such a state.

The sniffling continued for a bit and Eli's voice was faint and shaky when she finally replied, the words barely making it through the door to Honoka's ears. "But it's... confusing... I ... no idea ... on... nightmares just keep..."

Her curiosity getting the better of her, the leader of Muse shuffled closer to the door and pricked her ears. It wasn't right to eavesdrop, but one of the words she had picked up seemed awfully familiar. Of late she hadn't exactly been getting the best of sleep too, maybe there was something affecting the two of them?

"I need you to calm down first, Eli-chi. I... there's something you need to know. But you need to face it calmly."

"Nozomi?.."

A sense of dread fell over Honoka's mind, sinking into the bottom of her gut and sitting there like a cold hard lump. Suddenly she was filled with the urge to run away, back to her classroom, where she would be safe with her girlfriends. Then they could all return as a group, Muse would continue their daily activities as usual, and everything would be alright.

Unfortunately, her feet were rooted to the ground. Honoka found herself torn between her choices, and so moved neither closer nor further from the door. All she could do was stand there, frozen, as the voices talking within washed over her.

"Do you remember our first single song? When did we first perform it?"

"That was so long ago, Nozomi... when we first got together as a group, just before the first Love Live! competition." Though Eli's voice still wavered slightly and had a hiccup along the way, her tone was quickly returning to normal.

"Yes, Eli-chi. Now, our second single?"

"Snow halation? Sometime around Christmas for the second Love Live!'s preliminary finals, right?"

"The third?"

"Why are you so fixated on them, Nozomi? That was during the summer... holidays..." Uncertainty returned to the blonde's voice, as something that didn't quite line up properly hit her.

On the other hand, the shrine maiden's voice was calm and steady despite the words she was saying. "Our fourth single was during Valentine's Day. Our fifth was back during summer for our trip again, and we just released our sixth," she recited the rest of their songs' dates off easily despite the sheer impossibility of what she was saying.

Outside the door, Honoka felt her legs give way beneath her, crumpling to the floor in a heap as quietly as she could. Eli's next words reflected her thoughts entirely.

"That doesn't make any sense. What's wrong with my memories?"

"Nothing's wrong. That's exactly how it is."

"But but... how... How could there be something so obviously wrong and yet none of us noticed..."

"Nobody else looks at it because they don't want to. I wasn't able to notice it at first either, except all my card readings kept refusing to make any sense. It was only when I was willing to consider something so absurd and ridiculous that they all finally fell into place."

"So do you know what's going on?"

"No. I've only been able to pick out the discrepancies, and regain bits of my memory..." The spiritual girl let out a long sigh. "I've secretly tried every method I know. The gods aren't helping us with this one."

"We have to tell the rest."

"No!" The rejection this time was uttered with much more force than the previous. "I... We did that before. This is not the first time we've discovered this."

"But... what happened? How? Why can't I remember?"

"I don't know. But do you remember what happened recently with Maki-chan?"

"I..."

"Try to remember, Eli-chi! You were the one closest to the heart of it! You said you chased her through the school building!"

The blonde's voice was strained with the effort she was putting into trying to recall her memory. "Bits of it... are coming back. So we're... in someone's dream?"

"I don't know. I really don't, Eli-chi. Even my cards are vague. But there is one thing I'm sure of."

"What is it?"

"The last time we confronted the rest, we lost all the progress we made. Both you and I forgot about everything we found out, and we all went on as if nothing had happened. Someone hit the reset. That can only mean one thing." Her voice pausing to emphasize the seriousness of the situation, Nozomi's next words were grim and were something neither of the two who were listening wanted to hear.

"One of us is behind this."

* * *

Unable to take it any longer, Honoka shakily got to her feet, put on her best face, and burst into the clubroom. "Good afternoon~" she announced as she twirled her way in. "Huh? Only Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan?"

"Ah, the rest will probably be here soon. I guess they're just running a bit late." Eli's reply was perfectly smooth and well thought-out despite what must be an intense amount of turmoil in her mind, betrayed only by the hand raising up to her face to rub at her red eyes.

"Ehh? Did Eli-chan cry? Nozomi-chan, you've been bullying her again, haven't you?" Honoka's act was even more flawless than the third-year's, firmly ignoring what she had overheard earlier.

"Me?" Nozomi replied in shock, her tone of pure innocence and dismay at having been maligned. "How could you even say that, Honoka-chan. Eli-chi was just a little touched when I was discussing marriage with her."

"No-Nozomi!" The blush rushing to the blonde's face was entirely genuine this time round, breaking through her calm and collected façade. "I... you... what?!"

The spiritual girl took hold of her girlfriend's hands in her own, gazing deep into the sky-blue eyes. "It's only a matter of time, isn't it? Because we will always be together, no matter what. Even if it isn't legal just yet, I'm sure we'll definitely be able to do it someday."

"I... this is so sudden... Wait, you're just taking advantage of that thing we just discussed, aren't you?"

Nozomi tilted her head in confusion, before understanding dawned in her eyes. With a look at Honoka, who only glanced back quizzically, Nozomi leaned into her lover's ear to whisper huskily.

"It doesn't matter whose dream this is, or whether or not we're in the real world. Through a thousand worlds and every reality imaginable, so long as you are alone I will always chase you down to make you mine."

Faced with such words, Eli felt her heartbeat triple in rate, blood flooding her cheeks. Warm, moist breath tickled her left ear as Nozomi bit onto her earlobe teasingly to punctuate her words, before tracing a line from there to the base of Eli's throat using her tongue. A soft moan escaped the blonde's lips, hands pressing her girlfriend closer to her body as the two of them began to make out right there and then. The unexpected passion and comfort helped to put Eli's mind at ease, chasing away the entangled thoughts and confusion. That was something that could be dealt with later.

As for Honoka, she could only put her head on the table to avert her gaze and try to ignore the two seniors who had entirely forgotten about her existence. She wished her own girlfriends would hurry up. Having witnessed that scene from Nozomi and Eli was making heat pool uncomfortably on certain parts of her body and she was dying to kiss the living daylights out of someone herself.

So she reflected on the conversation from earlier, which sent another wave of dread washing over her and dousing her hormones like a bucket of cold water. The implications were terribly scary, though she didn't want to think about them. That was why she had burst into the room before they could have talked about it any further.

If everything she had worked so hard for was a lie, Honoka wasn't sure if she could take it. So she filed the knowledge away to deal with later, and tried to focus on the present... which was proving a little hard with all the little sounds escaping from the pair locked at the lips across the table.

When the door finally opened a couple of minutes later to reveal Kotori and Umi, it was a ginger-haired girl with her sanity nearly gone who pulled them in as fast as she could and slammed the door shut.

"Honoka-chan?.. Mmph!" Kotori's questions were instantly muffled by Honoka's desperate, searching kiss. Umi took one look at the third-years who hadn't shifted at all, then sighed as she put her arms around her girlfriends.

_Guess we should all just take a break for the day to let off some steam._

* * *

**Author's Note: This chapter sucks, I know. I've been in a bit of a slump lately so this seems kind of forced even to me orz. **

**Fun fact: That part about Emptiness, I actually wanted to use "Mujou" at first. As in you know, from the title of the second track to the S2 OP single, Datte Datte Aa Mujou. Mujou is a Buddhist concept of transience and futility, so "Aa Mujou" is meant to be a sort of lament on futility. It's one of my favourite songs. It's also permanently seared onto my mind because I got a question about Mujou wrong on my Japanese Studies finals a month back orz.**

**That part about what happened recently with Maki, I was referring to the OVA that came with the release of the sixth album. You know, the one that was utterly pointless and left tons of anxious fans sorely disappointed as to the utter lack of... just about everything inside. So here, I gave new life to it. Muahaha.**


	5. From One Party To The Next

**Chapter 5: From One Party To The Next**

It was just another typical afternoon in school, with Honoka having gone to the clubroom ahead of her girlfriends who had needed to see the teacher for something. Upon reaching her destination, the leader of Muse opened the door to step into a warzone. Which was only to be expected, because somehow it had been just Nico and Maki within the room.

"Why are you so impossibly hopeless with English?!" Maki yelled across the table which she had been leaning across to help the third-year with her homework.

"No one asked you to help me with my homework in the first place!"

"I can't focus with you muttering in such broken sentences to yourself! It would grate on just about anyone's ears!"

"Well I'm sorry! Now get off my case and leave me alone, Miss Perfect!" With a final parting shot, Nico managed to end the argument with Maki tossing her hair in indignation.

With a sigh, Honoka had quietly taken her seat since the duo hadn't even noticed her entrance with how heated their argument was going. Pulling out her notebook, she attempted to get some homework done to no avail. There was just too much noise for her to focus.

"Oh, Honoka. I didn't notice you already arrived. About time, I can't stand being alone in this room with Maki any longer."

"Stop bothering her, Nico-chan. Can't you see she's trying to do her work? Also, your feelings are duly reciprocated."

"It's only good manners to greet someone when they enter the room! Didn't your parents teach you that!"

"Of course Mama and Papa did! But it's also good manners to leave people alone when they don't want to be disturbed! Something which you clearly have no clue about!"

"Who was the one forcing her unwanted help on Nico here?!"

"You-"

"STOOOOOP!"

Honoka had shot up from her seat, unable to take the argument any longer. Taking a leaf out of Umi's book, she shot the other two members her best impersonation of her girlfriend's glare. "Can you two just stop arguing already?"

"I would if Nico can keep her smart comments to herself!"

"It's Maki who's always acting so high-and-mighty!"

Feeling a capillary pop somewhere from the stress, Honoka shot the pair another death-glare that really channelled the essence of Umi in her demonic mode. To her relief, the two finally quietened down and went back to their own work, though not without a last parting "Tch" from Nico.

_So if I substitute this value of x into here, I'll get..._

That peace probably lasted her the record-breaking span of three minutes before a slight growl interrupted Honoka's musings, making the insurmountable task of conquering her Math homework even harder. _I really should have just stayed in the classroom to do my homework... _The ginger-haired girl placed her pen down with irritation and watched the other two. For some reason, the two were already glaring daggers at each other despite there being no trigger which Honoka had noticed over the last few minutes.

The growl had come from Nico, but it was surprisingly Maki who opened fire first. "Why are you always looking over here?"

"You're also looking over here, aren't you?!"

"O- only because you keep looking over here!"

"See! I knew it after all, you were looking weren't you!"

_I give up._ Having lost all will to control or even understand the volatile pair, Honoka simply slammed her face into the table in exasperation. _How do they even continue like that every day..._

For some reason though, she couldn't help but feel that the two of them fit really well together. In all that she had witnessed to date, she felt that if either of them were having a real argument, there should have been a lot more venom in their words. Maybe... they just wanted to keep talking but didn't know how?

Honoka was suddenly reminded of how much miscommunication had nearly cost them everything, back when she and Kotori had first gotten together and Umi hadn't been able to express her own love herself. Before the two of them had finally noticed and pulled Umi back in between them where she belonged, their friendship had been on the verge of falling apart.

_Well. I guess it's worth a try._

"Nico-chan and Maki-chan, let's try something!" Honoka shot back up with a forced energy she didn't have previously, chasing her doubts away. "Why don't you two list each other's good points?"

"W-w-why do I have to do something like that?!" Maki stuttered with her cheeks flushing suddenly.

"Hmph, Maki's just scared because the list is impossibly long. Nico's the Universe's Number One Idol, you know?"

"It's for the sake of Muse, to improve our club members' relationships!" Honoka explained excitedly. "You two don't know how much you appreciate each other, so this will help to quell some of your arguments!"

"I'm not doing this!"

"Then as the more mature woman, Nico will show you the greatness of her heart and go first. Uhh... Maki is talented with the piano."

"Everyone could say that!" Maki shot back, unfazed by the praise she had heard often enough to be used to it.

"But not everyone knows just how good you are! Whenever I listened to you playing and singing at the same time it was something else. And you're always the one composing our songs, which is... pretty amazing." Near the end, Nico nearly stuttered on her words, unused to complimenting people other than herself.

"... When were you listening to me?"

An awkward silence followed, with Nico's eyes suddenly reluctant to look over in the direction where they had been previously wandering. Deciding to come to her rescue, Honoka turned to the redhead. "It's your turn, Maki-chan!"

"... Nico-chan is really passionate about becoming an idol."

"That's also something just as obvious!"

"It's something I'm envious of, alright?! I can't be like you and embrace the idol persona so fully. Your passion is... it's something I look up to!"

"Ufufu, then that makes you Nico-nii's rival~"

"I'd rather we were close friends..." Maki muttered under her breath, though it wasn't lost on the other two.

Rising to her feet, Honoka decided it was time to take a hasty exit from the clubroom. Standing by the door with one hand waving exaggeratedly to distract their attention while the other did its work, she announced loudly, "I'm going to the washroom for a bit. You two continue on, okay?"

After stepping out though, the ginger-haired girl leaned against the door carefully. The slight gap she had sneakily wriggled into the curtain left her able to peek through the glass pane set in the door.

If she had engineered something good, she wanted to see it!

...

"Well, you're... really smart. You always do the most sensible thing for Muse no matter the situation." It seemed like Nico was still continuing despite Honoka having left the room.

"I..." Maki was at a loss for words, not having expected the senior to continue. "You're really strong... I always envied how you never showed your real emotions though I hated it..."

"You hated it?.." Nico blinked in surprise.

"You... don't have to be that strong all the time. I always knew how you felt, but I didn't know how to get you to confide in me. Only Nozomi could ever get through that wall you set up. I don't... I don't like having that between us."

It was the third-year's turn to be stunned into silence, uncertain of what to say. Deciding to just move on, she cast about wildly for something to praise the redhead for and uttered the first thing that came to mind.

"You look cute when you blush."

"I... what?" Maki's blushing was in full force now, her cheeks red as a tomato. "W-what are you saying?!"

Nico turned to face the first-year, whose expression of embarrassment only grew larger. "Don't look over here! No, I-... Ahh mou!" Maki's brain seemed to have overheated, with the two of them falling into silence once again.

...

"Your twintails."

"Huh?"

"I like your twintails. I think you look cute with them. But I also like it when you have your hair down."

Personally, Honoka was amazed Maki had even managed to say all that without stuttering. Though her face looked like it would never recover from the intense blood-flow it was receiving. Nico on the other hand looked like she was suffering from a stroke.

"... That's unfair, Maki..."

"You- you were being unfair too!"

Yet more silence as the two of them stared at each other, communicating on a level that Honoka wasn't privy to yet could sense with her heart. Her expectations were fulfilled when Nico finally broke the stand-off by literally scrambling across the table, landing on Maki's lap and waiting arms. Only she had miscalculated the force, landing both of them on the clubroom's floor.

What ensued was several minutes of intensive making out, with Nico bringing all her passion to bear and Maki demonstrating her natural talent with her mouth and fingers. Honoka couldn't help but stand rooted to the ground, watching on in fascination despite it being two of her friends kissing as though there was no tomorrow. And mentally taking notes on things she could try with her girlfriends- how on earth were Maki and Nico so kinky when it was their first time?! The sounds emerging faintly from the clubroom was starting to make her feel a little of that passion herself.

The duo emerged from the clubroom with red faces and trembling limbs, and surprised to see the leader of Muse standing just outside with exactly the same symptoms.

"I... we... uhh..." Nico seemed lost, her eyes casting about wildly. Her usual control was gone, unable to even muster up her signature pose to draw attention away.

"Nico isn't feeling well so I'll be seeing her home first," Maki explained with all her unbreakable elegance, betrayed only by her trembling voice and flushed cheeks.

"I'll tell everyone else then. Have a good rest at home Nico-chan! Don't push yourself and have Maki-chan nurse you back to health properly, okay?"

"Y-yeah... Thanks Honoka. For uhm. Yeah."

After seeing the two walk off unsteadily and a little bit too closely towards the school entrance, Honoka decided she needed to use the washroom after all.

* * *

Once she returned to the clubroom, Honoka paused with her hand upon the doorknob, hearing voices coming from within. Just as she was about to twist it, the words she heard made her heart sink.

"She needs to move on, Kotori. This isn't a solution."

Even though the context wasn't quite clear, Honoka knew without a doubt in her heart that her girlfriends were talking about her. Closing her eyes, she leaned her forehead against the door, once again stuck there but this time in horrified curiosity.

"You worry too much, Umi-chan. It's fine as it is. Honoka-chan doesn't remember anything anyway."

"She can't remember anything because she doesn't want to, Kotori! It's because we're too soft on her!" Umi's voice wasn't that loud, but it held urgency and a tinge of despair within. Almost as if she was pleading with the other girl. It was a voice Honoka hadn't heard before.

It was heart-breaking.

"I don't want to, Umi-chan. You know how much it cost us three to finally be together. And Muse. Muse always has to be together, Umi-chan! No matter what happens, forever and ever, we will always be together!"

Silence.

"This isn't heaven, Kotori. She can't stay in this closed world forever."

* * *

_"How come I still can't be honest with myself?  
Music! Listen!  
It's time for us to all dance together  
Let's go! It's starting!"_

The music played out softly from the speakers of the computer, its frail sound attempting to cover the silence but only accentuating it further.

Honoka couldn't quite stand it all of a sudden, though it had been her who had turned it on in the first place in a bid to fill the room with some noise after most of the other members had come and gone. Their teeny voices sounded slightly off and warped, probably from the poor quality of the speaker. But she couldn't bring herself to turn it off. It was the last thing keeping her sane.

Because once again, the club room was bathed in an unimaginable tension that seemed to plague the place forever, thanks to the conversation between her girlfriends which she had overheard earlier. She hated this tension every time she sensed it. And every scene she saw accompanying it felt like she had gone through it a hundred times. No matter what the conclusion was, it always felt wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. It was all wrong. No matter how sensible each of those choices they made were or how much happiness it resulted in, she felt an illogical regret that baffled her.

Honoka took a quick glance at her two girlfriends Kotori and Umi, the only two other people left in the room. The costume designer had her usual tranquil poise as she doodled on her sketchbook, an impenetrable aura of fluffiness and normality surrounding her. The blue-haired girl on the other hand, had an air of concentration as she scribbled away on her Math notebook, one hand rising up subconsciously to rub away at a sore red spot on her neck.

The ginger-haired girl smiled. It was a mark that belonged to her. Her, and her alone (plus Kotori at least, though the girl was always too gentle to leave such marks). The one she had left on Kotori was somewhere a little more private after Umi had given Honoka no small amount of tongue-lashing, both literally and figuratively, halfway through their make-out session for leaving such a visible hickey.

Well, their classmates hadn't really brought it up beyond some good-natured ribbing. And Umi's scarf covered it most of the time while they were out.

_Scarf? It's... winter?_

Blinking in surprise, Honoka took a glance out the clubroom's window, only to see tiny white flakes descending from the skies. So delicate and fragile, so weightless and pure.

_I'm starting to lose it,_ Honoka decided as she placed a hand on the window, the cold sensation of the glass running through her fingers. She had a sudden urge to press her entire cheek against the freezing glass. Maybe that would wake her up properly and help her pull herself together.

She settled for closing her eyes and expanding her other senses, feeling the individual tingle of each nerve in her fingers, and the music in her ears.

_"After all, the party will never end  
The party will never end  
There's still time for us to sing with all our might  
After all, the party will never end  
The party will never end  
I'm filled with thoughts of fun miracles and invincible smiles!"_

But that was a lie, wasn't it. This party was fast coming to an end. She had been sensing it coming from quite some time off, no matter how much she ignored it. The miracles were disappearing, and the smiles were gradually being replaced by false ones.

Honoka stopped the music.

Umi looked up from her notes, only to pause when her eyes were met with Honoka's serious gaze. "... Is something wrong, Honoka?"

The ginger-haired girl couldn't help but laugh with a tinge of irony, something that felt alien to her straightforward self. How could she even respond to that? Everything. Everything was wrong. "I guess I should be asking you that instead, Umi-chan."

"Honoka?.."

It was Kotori's turn to look up, placing her pen down with a sigh. "Looks like you got your wish, Umi-chan," she murmured regretfully.

"..." The archer bit her lip in apprehension. Evidently she hadn't been expecting this conversation, though it was something she seemed to have been pushing for.

"Tell me about it, Umi-chan. I want to know."

"Honoka... do you know? About this world."

"I've overheard some things. And realised we were repeating the same school year over and over. That's why everything feels so familiar, isn't it? Every single time I felt deja vu wasn't a simple accident. I really experienced those things before."

Umi's mouth slipped open slightly in surprise, exchanging a glance with Kotori. "That's... further than where we got before..."

"Maybe Umi-chan was right after all..." Kotori tilted her head questioningly. "But will it last?"

"Honoka. Do you know why?"

"Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan said that we might be in someone's dream..." Honoka frowned, her voice shaking slightly. "It's... not that I mind, really. I mean, we're always having so much fun every day, and if this is all just a dream, at least I'm enjoying it. I just don't like it when we start hiding things from one another."

"It's... well, I guess it wouldn't be wrong to call it a dream of sorts," Umi murmured in response. "Just that it's only one of us who's dreaming..."

The words went in through Honoka's ears, and somehow fell to the pit of her stomach like a cold, hard lump. She could feel dread washing over her again, just like that day when she had overheard the conversation between Nozomi and Eli. There was an unexplainable urge to shut her eyes tightly and plug her ears.

She didn't want to hear this. This was a mistake after all.

But Umi hadn't taken notice of her distress and continued on, her voice as resolute as steel. Her eyes contained no warmth, burdened only with the heavy duty she had taken upon herself. "Honoka, you need to know this. There... there was an accident."

She couldn't fight it any longer. Yelling as loudly as she could, Honoka jumped up and scrabbled backwards, her hands clutching at the computer desk behind her. Her head was swimming, there was no coherent thought she could muster, all her limbs were trembling and her skin tingled. With her legs buckling beneath her, Honoka collapsed into a pile upon the floor.

"Honoka!" "Honoka-chan!"

The ginger-haired girl was dimly aware of two voices yelling out her name, but she couldn't see their source. Her world had turned completely dark at the edges, and all she could see in her tunnel vision was the single table leg in front of her. Just as she struggled to right herself, the pain hit.

With the force of an oncoming delivery truck, Honoka felt a stabbing pain in her chest, twisting, tightening, crushing her heart. She couldn't tell if it felt like a sharp blade or a constricting vice, all she had was the pain and no sense of anything else.

"Honoka!" She heard the same voices once again, and the faintest sensation of something barely warm closing around her. "Calm down, Honoka-chan!"

"Stay with us Honoka!"

_"I want to envision a new dream  
I want to play there with you  
If we hold hands, we can jump to the future, la la la love live!"_

That's funny, she didn't remember turning the music on again... And why did it sound so scratchy and faded? The sound seemed like it was emerging from a badly-tuned radio, or more like an ancient gramophone with a cracked disc, the voices fading in and out. Yet the meaning of the song was clear, a promise of salvation from the pain that wracked her entire body right now.

Despite the soul-crushing agony, Honoka felt a thin smile appear on her lips.

"She's going to jump again!"

"No! Honoka, don't do this! Damn it Honoka, we love you!"

_"I'm thankful for these passionate moments  
I'm thankful for my desire to succeed  
Our energy will save us from despair!"_

_Umi-chan, Kotori-chan... I'm sorry._

And then everything turned black.

* * *

**Author's Note: My chapters are getting ridiculously long... *grumbles* I even toned down the descriptive text for this one because I was in a rush.**

**The first half is based on the preview of the new NicoMaki duet titled "ずるいよMagnetic today", released just last Sunday. The Japanese words in the name mean something like "That's unfair". That whole part about looking at each other, that's actual song lyrics from the start of the song. ****The song is full of tsun just as we would expect from this pair, and I spent a long time looping it because dang, it's godly.  
**

******As for the second half, I won't be talking about it. I'll leave that up to the reviewers. ;D I really like the single of Music S.T.A.R.T! though. Just remember that up till now, I always try to involve both tracks. What's the second track of that single again, I wonder, I wonder...**

**The last few weeks' episodes of Love Live! have left me crying at the end of each episode. This show is really something else. I really don't know what to say, it's been life-changing even if there's been no real object lesson shoved in my face. Just watching these girls and how far they've come really touches me to the core of my soul. (So much of Honoka's words in Episode 12 just feel so true and real to us; they're targeted at us fans alright, but it's still really touching.)**

**Episode 12's final closing song of Bokura wa Ima no Naka de was absolutely freaking genius though. It was a bit too overboard and obvious to be called a lampshade but that's what made it even more awesome. I still didn't see it coming despite recognizing it as the same stage as the first season's OP. When I heard the opening bars I just broke down again (the whole calling-for-encore section was killing me too anyway).**

**So happy. So conflicted. ****Next week is the finale and I will undoubtedly be left in tears once again. I'll rewatch the entire series after that and still cry some more. That's just how it is. I think all of us Love Livers! feel the same way.**

******I'll see you all next week, hopefully. :D**


	6. Interlude: The Beginning

**Interlude: The Beginning**

_An atmosphere of tension, much like it was riding on a steel cable about to snap. Tempers flying high, strong wills clashing over matters that she simply couldn't comprehend right now. Words exchanged in heated voices, flurries of red and yellow, and a guilt at her own selfishness. Her own voice declaring something loudly as always, bringing everyone's attention upon her and bending everyone's wills to align with her own. And everyone started smiling and all the negativity was gone, yet it felt even more wrong than before._

_A blur of colours rushing past outside the window, of greys that were replaced by greenery that were replaced by greys yet again. A rattling of wheels, from a pushcart offering drinks and snacks and sweets that she wouldn't have been able to resist if she didn't have a box of her own open right on her lap, with greedy hands reaching in from behind her to steal some away. Not that she wouldn't have given them away freely anyway, they were meant to be shared after all._

_"This is it. Our hearts are one." Standing together in their circle, invulnerable against the world once more. The low murmur of a crowd coming in from outside, and the same feelings of invincibility and adrenaline-high she got before every live. This was the one thing that had felt right, the one thing she couldn't possibly regret no matter what._

The girl found herself lost in the slipstream of emotions and sensations tumbling past her, a rush of experiences with no clear order or meaning without memory or context. As they neared their climax they began to speed up, making even less sense to the confused girl who resigned herself to simply watching and feeling.

_A sea of yellow and blue and orange and teal and green and red and white and purple and pink, of a whole rainbow of lights bouncing about in her vision even as the stage lights themselves flooded her sight, not really blinding her but dazzling, oh so dazzling, triggering her emotions and everything was just so bright and she absolutely had to be the highest she ever had in her entire life-_

_Sound blasting out of the speakers all around her, bass so strong she could feel it vibrating the stage even with how mobile she was while dancing, yet contrasted by the soft tinkling of the xylophone accompaniment that accentuated the main rhythm. She didn't quite know how she knew all that, she never really had a talent for music, maybe spending that much time with Maki-chan had rubbed off on her. Though if it came to rubbing off literally, the most likely candidates would've been Nico-chan or Rin-chan-_

_The ground shaking beneath her far too much to have been just the bass alone, the noise level actually _decreasing _and that was probably what was most alarming of all as excitement turned to confusion and panic and the crowd began surging away, desperately trying to get away from the stage they had just been clamouring to get closer to-_

_The cold hard sensation of the stage beneath her, pain blossoming in her left arm from where she had broken her ungraceful tumble to the ground-_

_A flower of red blooming upon the ground underneath her arm, even as sharp pain shot up her left leg from god-knows-where-_

_A whole chorus of screams breaking through the cacophony of noise-_

_Dust obscuring her vision and loud impacts of things colliding with the ground all around her-_

_An ominous snap that somehow sounded more distinctive than the ongoing chaos-_

_She looked up, just in time to see an entire light fixture falling straight down-_

* * *

Darkness.

The girl opened her eyes, but it didn't make a single bit of difference in her vision. It was so futile that she wondered if her eyes were even open in the first place. Waving her fingers in front of her (or at least she think she did), she frowned as nothing stirred in her sight.

Where was she? What had happened? Why was she here, where was everyone else, what day was it, why was it so dark, why-

She spent a minute mentally screaming into the void in utter panic, her futile efforts resulting in silence from the lack of air to transmit her voice.

Clenching her fists, she forced herself to stop thinking before her mind overheated. She focused on the sensation of her fingers, of her body that somehow seemed weightless, floating in space.

Quiet.

The silence was overwhelming, tides of emptiness just washing over her consciousness.

In her life she had experienced many sorts of silence. But even in her room in the dark of the night, she had heard the barely audible electrical hum of the city. In the mountains during their camping trip, she had heard the quiet noises of the insects, the wind rustling through the grass.

She imagined that even if she was drifting about in space, she would still hear the quiet distant song of the stars.

But this was different. This was empty silence. Complete. Absolute. Dark and dead. There was not a single decibel of sound, nor a shred of light around her.

Alone in the universe, a universe that had nothing to prove that she wasn't the only existence left.

She was afraid. Until this moment, she had never experienced anything this terrifying before.

She was... no, she couldn't be. That definitely wasn't the case! She was right here, wasn't she?! She was still thinking and present so she had to be alive!

How did this happen to her?.. More importantly, what was going to happen to her now?

Was she stuck like this forever? A meaningless existence in this void, a fey spirit left alone at the end of the universe?

No, there was one last possibility. Something that had always saved her.

Opening her mouth, she began to sing silently in her mind.

_I can tell that the possibility exists_  
_Yeah... let's go!_  
_I don't want to have any regrets_  
_when our path lies right in front of us..._

* * *

No one knows when or how long ago it started, really.

No, that's a lie. We were all aware. We all knew what was wrong even if we pretended not to see it. After all, we...

But it wasn't like we could've done anything about it, could we? That would've been horrible. It was something no one could've done to a friend. Especially not her, the most vulnerable in the group.

Besides, it's not like we could've ever done anything against her will. She was our core. She was the team. She was _us_.

So we continued dancing and singing. Day by day, week by week. It just kept going on and on, even as the lies that she built up started to erode away at us, until we were but pitifully frail imitations of our selves. But that was okay, because at least we could forget then. And once we had forgotten, all we had was the eternal dance to focus on.

All so that she could continue to be happy.

That was alright, no? We owed her that much. We all did.

Muse is incomplete without any of us.

We would always be together.

That's right. No matter the cost.

* * *

**Author's Note: Because every end is just another beginning.**

**So ends Season 2 of Love Live!. I don't even have mixed feelings, I'm actually pretty high. It was a wonderful episode, full of their usual antics. I cried when Aishiteru Banzai! came on, as well as Honoka's memories. But I'm really glad with the way they ended it on a high note full of promise and hope. Everyone I knew was so terrified of spending the night crying, but instead we all ended it happier than ever. ****Because this isn't "Goodbye", this is a "See you later".**

**I've been looping the preview of the 4th Live BD and gosh Cutie Panther is waaay better than anything I had imagined. All three seiyuus' dancing was just drool-worthy. The best part of LOVELESS WORLD is the opening which isn't shown though, so I'm going to wait one whole month just to see that scene and remember those feels again.**

******As for this chapter, sorry about the short length but it had to be added in. The next update will take some time since I'm back to juggling it with my other story. D=**

**I'll be busy with quite a few camps over the next few weeks and then the start of the next semester, so writing speed will drop drastically. But I do have a new beginning coming up soon, so please look forward to that. Now that Spring has ended, it's time for... =P**

**So just like our precious girls, the only thing I can say is, I'll be seeing you all later! =)**


End file.
